Spending an hour on self-care renewed my spirits, not just my energy. I’d found the kitchen and ransacked anything I found to eat that even remotely caught my interest. The bath had been next, a good soak in the warm water had done the trick to inform my body that it was, in fact, not dying anymore. At least not yet, there was always tomorrow.

Dressed and back in armor, minus the chest and shoulders, I made my way back to the courtyard to check on the Baron. Emerging into the late afternoon sun, I let myself bask for a moment before bringing my mind back to business.

The Baron had had someone bring out his desk, an oversized monstrosity of a thing. I snorted at the complete impracticality of the depths taken thing but given the strictures with which I’d threatened his life, I wouldn’t hold it against him.

The poor guy looked like he’d been dragged through the woods by a team of horses. Wrinkles and dust marred his fancy clothes, his hair windblown and in disarray. His bedraggled state wasn’t the change I cared about, though. The changes to his face, his expression, and his demeanor, I cared about far more.

I wouldn’t go so far as to say he’d completely transformed, but he tried. People appeared and disappeared as the Baron communicated orders or received information. Stacks of papers filled the ridiculous desk, along with another version of the map of the town I hadn’t seen before.

“So, how’re things?” I asked, as I leaned a hip against the audacious desk.

He looked up at me, dead eyed.

“That damned man has taken over the whole town. My town. He has set himself up as the de facto authority. Everything I’m trying to do has to go through his approval. How did it come to this?”

“That’s called a power vacuum. When the people in power don’t exercise their power, someone else steps in to exercise it for them, then eventually you’re just a figurehead. You’re being shown up by a woodcarving stall keeper,” I said, hiding a smirk. I wouldn’t tell him that it was probably all my fault too.

“How do I get the power back?”

“Isn’t this something you should already know? You’re a Baron, aren’t you? Do Barony things.”

He scowled at me and said, “We’re passed that, now. Let’s not pretend that I know all the things I should know. Please help me figure this out.”

Taken aback by his directness, I was nonetheless pleased with his willingness.

“You need to recruit him. You need to be his enabler, provide him with everything he needs to succeed. Empower him to be the guy, your problem solver.”

“That sounds like it will just make matters worse. He already has all the power, what good is giving away what power I have left going to do?”

“I think you’ll find that the more you enable the people around you, the do’ers, the more they’ll come to you for support. And in the act of coming to you, you’ll have built a working relationship that depends on your goodwill. I think you have something confused though. You’re the one with the King’s writ, you’re the one that owns the land on his behalf, the one who commands the men at arms. If he continues to be a nuisance, you have the power to remove him. That’s the coward’s way out though, and a waste of good people, people that you are in desperate need of.”

The Baron paused to consider that. I let him ruminate, but then got bored and made my way to Kan’on. I plopped down next to him and leaned back against the courtyard wall.

“Things have changed.”

“Changed how?” Kan’on didn’t bother opening his eyes, just continued to sit in his pose.

“We’re going to need to go after the Queen, into the Labyrinth.”

“Very well. I’ll accompany you.”

“Wait, that’s it? You’ll just go?”

“Of course. I fight, that’s my purpose… to hone myself against the strong.”

“That’s all very ‘martial cultivator’ of you or whatever, but shouldn’t you be going back to your school? You’ve basically got what you wanted out of me. Even without me, you’ll get there eventually. There is nothing keeping you here now.”

“I’ve already succeeded. Now I’m just trying to understand why.”

“Ah, last night then?”

Kan’on nodded his head.

“Show me.”

Without waiting for him to confirm his participation, I bore down on him with my willpower, crushing his connection to the currents. He grimaced for an instant, before swiping his hand up like a blade.

His will sheered through my grip on the currents like a barber’s razor; clean, smooth, and most of all, utterly without hesitation or doubt. I shivered, the hairs on my arms and neck standing straight up, warning me of the threat seated less than an arm’s length away. In a straight up fight, I doubt I’d stand a chance now. Assuming I didn’t cheat.

I’d created a monster. Thank the stars he didn’t have direct access to the Flow. What kind of monstrosity would the kind of focus he could bring to bear create from such a confluence? Martial hero combined with the old ways. I shivered just imagining such a scenario. The worst part about the whole thing was that he had done it so casually, as if he’d always known how and was a little insulted that I’d ever doubted him. The arrogant ass.

I let the silence linger a while, contemplating the repercussions of my actions. The Baron had resumed his frantic activities… probably trying to figure out how to win the woodcarver over to his side. Personally, I’d make the guy the Mayor. Chain him to the position and throw money at him, but it wasn’t my decision. Finally, I turned back to Kan’on.

“So, then what’s keeping you here?”

“Things have changed.”

I snorted as he parroted my line back at me. I spotted the little grin on his lips that he failed to hide.

“This place, you, Jass… have shown me that my thinking is too rigid. I’m thinking now that this was the real reason my Master sent me to you. I couldn’t see it before because there was no context, nothing to compare to. I have discovered how inflexible I am because I can compare myself to how adaptable you are. I find myself falling short. Everything I do is linear. Point A to point B. I must break the pattern.”

I nodded. I’d already thought as much days ago, though I hadn’t told him that. He would have just denied it anyway.

“And so, the Labyrinth,” I said.

“Yes.”

“I can feel what’s down there, even now. The more I sense from it, the more I feel its age and power. The Inculid Queen, if that’s what she is, is old. Old like the way we tell stories about long dead kings old. There’s a good chance I’m not coming back from this.”

“Then why go? You aren’t like me. It’s something I’ve meditated on recently, when trying to figure out your tricks, that your motivations are unclear to me.”

“If you had asked me that yesterday, I probably wouldn’t have. But now, I don’t think I can choose not to go. Like I said, things have changed. I think my path is set. You’ll still go, even knowing that?”

“It’s just another obstacle to overcome. I will either succeed or fail.” Kan’on said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world, a foregone conclusion.

If I thought he would go because he had good intentions, I would applaud the guy, but I knew that he would go only because his entire being, all his focus, was bent toward becoming strong.

Hanging out with Jass would do Kan’on good. Kan’on could use someone to poke a stick into his personality and stir it up a bit. I wouldn’t go so far as to call him heartless, but he could stand to learn how to empathize more with others.

Orleander and Kayla chose that moment to ride through the gates. They stopped abruptly, observing the chaos that the Baron, or me depending on your perspective, had created smack in the middle of the yard. They passed off their horses and walked toward me and Kan’on.

“Dash, Clyde and I have dispositioned the remaining forces. We’ve also repaired the barricade in the places where they were penetrated.” Having said that, Orleander pulled out a familiar shape, wrapped in better trappings than I’d ever kept the damned thing.

I received my hated sword with a nod of thanks and immediately shoved it into my cubby without so much as looking at it for chips or cracks. I wished somebody would just steal it and melt it down to sell for the money. The depths taken thing was worth a fortune after all. Where were all the petty thieves when I needed them the most?

“Thank you. You’ve done well. Clyde too, but don’t tell him I said so.”

A small smile played at the edges of Orleander’s lips. I could tell he was pleased with my praise, however small. His high opinion of Clyde clashed with my own, so it must rankle with him that I was always so harsh on the guy.

“There is one more thing. Your identity has spread, along with the rumors and stories, among the soldiers and residents of the town. There is unrest.”

I flinched but nodded. It was to be expected. There hadn’t been anything I could do about it anywhere I’d been before, and nothing had changed to make it any different here.

“How bad is it?

“It appears that there are many conflicting opinions, according to Clyde. It is not so bad that I would worry about it. Stories of your battle last night have spread just the same, which appear to mitigate the fear, somewhat.”

I sighed. There was no avoiding it. I’d have to go into town before sundown to prepare for whatever the Inculids sent. I could feel their intent even now, and somewhat translate that feeling into something concrete. They were up to something and I’d need to be there to stop it.

“I’ll be going into town shortly. Will you be there?”

“No, I’ve done what I can. Kayla will accompany you, though.”

I raised my eyebrows at that. I didn’t expect him to part with his bodyguard, but I’d take her regardless.

“What about the mind-control?” Orleander asked.

“It’s no longer an issue. I’ve stopped it dead. As long as I’m here, it won’t happen again. Which leads me to the next thing. Tomorrow, or the next day… soon, I’ll be going into the Labyrinth.”

“It that really necessary? Will they not retreat, if we bleed them enough?”

“I can feel it in them. There will be no retreat or compromise. Their presence screams of the need to consume, and we are their targets. Will you go with me, Kayla?”

I asked the question directly to her, it had to be her decision. Orleander’s face didn’t change, he just shifted his attention to her, waiting for her response.

Not being able to see her reaction was annoying, but her body language had slouched a little. She was conflicted, but she nodded her head.

“I can’t measure up to Kan’on, but I’ll go. I’m sure I’ll figure out some way to be useful,” she rasped. Her words said one thing, but her tone told a different story. She wasn’t happy about it, at all, but she’d go.

“Don’t undersell yourself. I’m sure you’ll make good monster bait at the very least.” I grinned a little, seeing if she’d take the bait.

Of course, I almost forgot that she hated my guts, even if she didn’t shout it from the rooftops. My little half assed attempt at ribbing her rolled off the polished shell of her total indifference. She didn’t react, not even a shift or head tilt, and just stared at me through her face-obscuring scarf.

“It’s settled then, Kayla will go with you. She will go with you into town tonight too. Your Grace, I’ll leave you to it. If you have need of me, I will be ready to serve.”

It saddened me to see Orleander walk away. He’d proven himself to be a dependable, knowledgeable man… if a bit pompous. Too bad he wasn’t a fighter; I could use twenty more just like him then.

“Let’s go, you two. I have a feeling we’ll be in for an interesting evening.”

Kayla turned on her heel to gather the two horses she and Orleander had ridden in on. I waited for another animal to be brought out. I’d have to figure out something special to do for the stable staff in this place. They’d always come through with a mount at all the weird hours and through all the crazy things going on around us.

Finally mounted and back out the gate, I settled in for a pleasant ride into town. The sun was well on its way toward the horizon, the shadows lengthening and the sun’s rays shifting into evening reds and purples.

I’d tried to take the middle, trying to be the proper protagonist straight out of the heroic tales I’d loved as a youth, but Kayla refused to ride next to me. Instead, I was shunted off to the side and Kan’on got the middle spot.

Depths take the man, even when he wasn’t trying to be the hero, he ended up being the hero anyway.